Pacific Rim is less Transformers and more Independence Day. It’s less about flashy toys and more about the spirit of people. Pacific Rim may just very well be my favorite popcorn disaster movie of the summer.

Premise: Monstrous Aliens known as the Kaiju rise from the seas hell bent on destroying all the major cities on earth. It’s not an invasion, it’s a war. The world develops huge robots called Jaegars to battle the Kaiju powered by two humans who must remain neurologically connected, memories melding into each others. But as the war continues the Kaiju grow smarter and stronger adapting to the strengths and weakness of the Jaegars. Stacker Pentecost, leader of the Jaegars must call upon an old friend, Raleigh, who left the business of fighting the Kaiju when tragedy struck him and his partner. And soon enough Raleigh finds himself the only thing in the way between the total destruction of earth. Can Raleigh learn to trust again? And as the amount of Jaegars diminish and the Kaiju increase, does Raleigh and the world even stand a chance of winning?

You Should Watch Pacific Rim If:

1) …You’re a sucker for alien disaster movies. This is alien movie watching at its best. Glorified monster vs. robot porn and the battle sequences really deliver. It reminded me of Cloverfield only on a massively epic scale.

2) …If you’re a fan of good actors. Okay, so yes, some of the dialogue was cheesy, but no one says “Never touch me again,” with the perfect balance of intimidation and humor, like Idris Elba does. Idris Elba was action movie gold in this film. He was commanding as a leader. In fact, he had that “it” that I wish Jamie Foxx had in White House Down. He was a leader. He was someone you’d follow into the depths and back again. And while Charlie Hunnam as our hero Raleigh did fine, actress Rinko Kikuchi as his battle partner Mako, was a definite stand-out. Her eyes were so expressive it was hard not to feel sympathy for her. She was also just plain refreshing to have around. Casting virtual unknowns was a smart decision on Del Toro’s part.

3) …If you’re a fan of great characters and a good story with some heart to it. You can have all the explosions and special effects battles you want, but if you don’t have characters to care about your movie could end up being like Battleship, 2012, or Transformers 2 &3. I like the story Pacific Rim told. It was a story of family, saving the world, friendship, trust, leadership, and pushing yourself to the limit. The characters were characters to root for every one of them getting a chance to shine.

4) …If you like tense, epic battle scenes. As implausible as these battle sequences may be, there’s no denying how cool it was to see a huge robot pound an alien into submission, and that opening battle was crazy intense. With each battle came a crescendo with the final battle being everything it should be. And the ending was a winner. Many disaster movies fail in the ending, but Pacific Rim did not. I like getting that little rush when you don’t know what’s going to happen.

And if you still need more convincing…#5, watch Pacific Rim if you’re a fan of this(it happens 3 times):